PRUNES ARE A GREAT STAND-BY

New Zealand Listener, Volume 21, Issue 531, 26 August 1949, Page 22

PRUNES ARE A GREAT STAND-BY

RUNES are a great stand-by and one of the best dried fruits. Like many fresh fruits they are best cooked very slowly in a covered casserole in the oven. Put them in the casserole overnight just covered with cold water. Next day add some strips of lemon-peel, put on the lid, and set in lower part of oven when you are using it for other cooking. Fresh fruits ‘done this way do not need overnight soaking, but should have sugar sprinkled on them. Tree tomatoes and rhubarb, now in season, are much nicet ‘casseroled than stewed. Prune Cake Five ounces butter or good fat, 5oz. sugar, 1 egg, pinch of salt, pinch of ground cloves, 142 cups flour, % teaspoon baking soda, 4% teaspoon cinna‘mon, 4 teaspoon mixed spice, 1 tea‘spoon baking powder and 421b. prunes. ‘Soak prunes overnight and next day cook till soft, then stone and let drain. Cream the butter or fat and sugar, add egg, then beat well. Add ali dry ingredients well sifted, then prunes, which have been dredged in flour and cut up. Mix all well in, and if mixture too stiff, add some of prune juice. Put all into wellgteased tin and bake % to 1 hour in moderate oven. Savoury Prunes Wrap short rashers of fat bacon round soaked, stoned prunes, and set them on thick apple rings. Put on a buttered baking sheet, or in a buttered piedish, and bake until apples are soft, and bacon nicely crisped. \ Stuffed Prunes This makes a suppet savoury. Soak prunes in usual way, boil gently, adding cold tea to the water to improve colour. Remove stones. Dry prunes in cool oven about an hour, then stuff with grated cheese, which could be coloured with a few drops of food colouring, beetroot juice, or spinach juice. Prune Delight This is a delicious sweet, served either hot or cold, with or without cream or custard. Into a piedish put %21b. prunes which have been soaked overnight and stoned. Add % cup sugar, a little grated orange rind, and water barely to cover. Over all grate 2 large cooking apples sprinkled lightly with sugar, and on top put the sections of an orange. Bake this in mdderate oven. Before serving cover with meringue made from 2 egg whites and castor sugar, and return to the oven a few minutes. Prune Meringue Pie Line pie plate with good short pastry, and bake in moderate oven till done. Filling: Two cups cooked prunes, 2 cups mashed bananas, 4 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons butter, and % teaspoon lemon essence, or a good squeeze of Jemon juice. Stone the prunes and cut up small, cream honey and butter till thick and smooth, add prunes, bananas and lemon, and mix thoroughly. Spread over baked pastry shell and cover with meringue made with 3 stiffly

beaten egg whites and 4 tablespoons sugar, Place in moderate oven about 15 minutes to set meringue. Spiced Prune Puff Soak overnight 2 cups prunes, Next day drain off water and stew prunes gently with 1 cup sugar, 2 cups water, a little cinnamon, 4 cloves, and rind of half a lemon. When tender, in half to 1 hour, pour into dish. Now for the puff top. One cup flour, 1 dessertspoon cinnamon, Y2 teaspoon baking powder, 1-3rd cup butter or good dripping, 42 cup sugar, 1 egg, and about ¥% cup milk, Cream butter and sugar, add beaten egg, sift in lightly flour, baking powder, and cinnamon, and lastly, mix in enough milk to make a mixture that will drop from spoon. Spread over the hot prunes, and bake in moderate oven about 1% hour. While still hot, spread with mixture of ¥ teaspoon each of sugar, butter, cinnamon and flour, Serve hot of cold. Pickled Prunes These are very nice with cold meat. One pound prunes, 12Ilb. sugar, 6 cloves, a little cinnamon, 1 pint vinegar. Wash and soak prunes overnight. Boil sugar, spice and vinegar and add prunes. Boil gently till skin is just broken, Bottle and cover when cold Prune Chutney Two pounds prunes, 11b. sultanas, 11b. sugar, 2oz. garlic, loz. ground ginger, loz. salt, 4% teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 1 quart malt vinegar. Put prunes to soak in a little water. When softened remove stones, put prunes in preserving pan with all the other ingredients, and boil gently 1 hour. Break the stones, and add kernels to chutney. Bottle and seal. Prune and Rhubarb Jam Four pounds rhubarb, 2Ib. prunes, 5lb. sugar, 3 lemons. Cut rhubarb small, sprinkle with 1lb. sugar, and leave all night. Also soak the prunes overnight. Next day put rhubarb and prunes, with the water, into preserving pan with lemons cut in quarters. Simmer about an hour, then add rest of sugar, stirring till properly dissolved. Then boil fast till it will set when tested. Remove lemons and seal in hot jars. Prune and Banana Jam One pound of cooking prunes, 12 bananas, 3 pints water, and’ 3lb. sugar. Soak the prunes 24 hours, then boil till tender. Add sugar and = sliced bananas. Make sure sugar is dissolved, then boil fast for % hour, or until it will set when tested.